Doug and Cindy Eby of Hershey are the new owners of the Beef Jerky Outlet located in downtown Hershey. The store is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony in conjunction with its grand opening on Thursday. - (Photo / Submitted)

Hershey Towne Square is beefing up its services with the opening of a new retail store.

On Thursday, The Hershey Partnership chamber of commerce will welcome national franchise The Beef Jerky Outlet to a new location at 131 West Chocolate Ave. in downtown Hershey. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The chain, founded in 2010, is headquartered in Kodak, Tennessee. The local store is owned and operated by Doug and Cindy Eby of Hershey and is one of more than 100 franchise locations throughout the country. The chain also plans to open another location in the state next month in Pittsburgh.

Doug has two decades of experience as a regional sales manager for Sylvan Technologies and Cindy is a technical consultant for a pharmaceutical testing company. Doug recently left Sylvan to focus on the store. Including Doug and Cindy, the store employs nine people and plans to add more by the summer.

The outlet features more than 100 varieties of jerky and includes exotic meats like kangaroo, alligator, venison and elk, said Doug Eby. The store also offers gourmet popcorn, candy, jellies, jams, spices and rubs.

During the grand opening celebration, patrons have a chance to win free jerky for a year and giveaways with purchases over $50 and $100. A 10 percent discount is available for all first responders, police, fire and military personnel.

"The second you step into our store, you’ll be amazed by the selection of products that we have," Doug said in a statement. "We are very excited to share this ultimate tour of jerky and can’t wait to celebrate our grand opening with everyone."